The end of the Berlin Airlift on September 30, 1949 marked a stunning, early victory in the Cold War. The crisis grew out of a plan by the United States, Britain, and France a year earlier to create a stable currency for western Germany. The Soviets reacted angrily, wanting to control the country's post-war economy. They cut off power, rail, road and water access to West Berlin, which lay deep inside the Soviet zone. President Harry S Truman rejected his generals' advice to launch a military confrontation and instead worked with the air forces of allied nations to launch the largest humanitarian airborne operation in history. The Americans called the bold plan "Operation Vittles,” while the British dubbed it “Plainfare.” Over 15 months, more than 200,000 planes delivered about 2.3 million tons of supplies to the beleaguered city, which convinced the Soviets to end their blockade.
The Berlin Airlift 70 Years On
1
A U.S. Air Force C-54 Skymaster descends into Berlin's Templehof Air Base as hopeful Berliners watch on August 10, 1948. The airlift was in operation for 15 months after the Soviet authorities cut off the city. Some 101 participants died, including 40 Britons and 31 Americans, mostly due to non-flying accidents.
2
An American soldier checks a manifest while overseeing the loading of flour into a C-47 transport at Frankfurt's Rhein-Main Air Base on June 29, 1948. The base was the main supply hub for Berlin Airlift.
3
Most U.S. planes used the southern corridor, which connected Frankfurt and Tempelhof, the American-operated base in the heart of the city. All British planes and about 40 U.S. planes used northern corridor, running southeast from the Hamburg area and landing at British-operated Gatow airfield in West Berlin. Planes flew 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and would land as often as every minute.
4
West Berliners wait to fill their water buckets at a fire hydrant on July 3, 1948. After the Soviets cut off supplies, residents were forced to queue for hours.